Your Best Lounge Suit

It's an important occassion. Evening. A partners' meeting to look you over. An upscale dinner with new business associates. A charity event. You get the idea....
You want to look your absolute best. What suit do you go to? And what do you pair it with?

This is really a question to uncover your best, favorite 'dress up' suit.

Which is it and why?

I don't yet own my best lounge suit. Nevertheless, of the suits I do own, the one that I reach for when I want to look my best is my Navy Kiton MTM, SB.
Shirt: I have a white Kiton shirt with a spread collar. The white provides a contrast with the navy blue.
Tie: I wear a Brioni tie with a smaller knot; can't abide the larger knots any longer; throws off the whole understated effect. Are you listening SVB!
Shoes: Well shined black toe caps. I need to buy these; probably get the EG 888 model cap toe oxford.
Accessories: A pocket square and wrist watch. A TV fold, white linen square. Simple. The watch: a platinum Patek which I inherited.

That's it. Other than grooming. A fresh shave and a dash of cologne. Not too much, it interferes with the taste of the food. Hair shampooed and trimmed if too shaggy or dysfunctional.

No one would particularly note my dress; understated but decisive and emphatic. Elegant simplicity. The hallmark of a well dressed man.

Dan's opted for his best suit instead of a tux.

Dan recently wore a suit to an upscale charity event at NY's Waldorf Astoria!

dhermann1 said:

My girlfriend invited me to a dinner dance at the WALDORF ASTORIA(!) It's "Black tie optional". My tux somehow over the last several years has become too small for me. (Can't think how that happened . . .) Well, we went, and I wore my dark brown suit with my newest vintage tie. I'd say 80% of the men there were in business suits, so I was pretty much with the program.

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Rafter said:

Tie: I wear a Brioni tie with a smaller knot; can't abide the larger knots any longer; throws off the whole understated effect. Are you listening SVB!

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lol

I know this will be a little dark but I'm wearing my favorite suit:



It's a Navy 3B SB Manzoni and no, it's not like the cheap ones on the bay. I was fortunate enough to find one that fit well, worsted wool, good cut, etc. (I've seen a few on the bay that weren't mustard) It's a rather conservative suit and it has held up quite well thus far in the 4 years I've owned it.

I have a light blue Joseph Abboud combed Egyptian cotton spread collar with a gold and blue HartSchaffnerMarx tie, gold watch is Bulova (diff. bulova in pic), and cole haan oxfords.

Rafter said:

No one would particularly note my dress; understated but decisive and emphatic. Elegant simplicity. The hallmark of a well dressed man.

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My green sharkskin DB would kindly disagree. I think mens suit fashion today has become too understated; to the point when suits become more like uniforms than anything else. My absolute satorial goal is 'bold, but tasteful' (though the above suit may be an execption).

Depending on the event, where it is, what time it's at, I'd have many different options. During the day, no doubt it's my brown 1944 pinstripe DB; fits like a glove, and what a cut! At night I prefer greys, blues, and blacks. It would likely be my black 3x3 1940's DB, black hat, white shirt, white silk pocket square, black brocade tie, and black hat. This is what I'm wearing in my avatar.

Briscoeteque said:

My green sharkskin DB would kindly disagree.

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Please, please post a picture of this!!
I need to see it.

Feraud said:

Please, please post a picture of this!!
I need to see it.

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Ask and ye shall recieve! I was wearing mismatched pants because they need work, and you can't see the details, but you definately get the idea.

Briscoeteque said:

Ask and ye shall recieve! I was wearing mismatched pants because they need work, and you can't see the details, but you definately get the idea.

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Just amazing. Love the color and the style. :eusa_clap
I need a suit like that in my closet.

While I don't have any one particular Go To suit I would probably choose a solid navy blue or charcoal grey SB suit with a white FC shirt, solid textured tie, black cap toe oxfords, gold accessories (watch, links, belt buckle, etc...) and a white linen pocket square.

Winter: Nigel's by Nathan David, navy chalkstripe flannel, 6x2 DB, ventless.
Summer: Polo, off-white linen, 6x2 DB, double vented.
Year-Round: Nick Hilton, oxford grey crepe, 3B SB, ventless.
All trou with double pleats, brace buttons, deep cuffs.

For a really elegant event, I don't have many rules other than:
-black oxford shoes (black/white specs or white bucks in season).
-some variety of pocket hankey, usually colorful.
-a shirt that is not solid white.
-of course, a suitable snapbrim!

For those more dressed up suiting occassions, I wear a 3 piece navy suit with the tiniest, faintest pinstripes. That with a diagonal small check/puppytooth tie, white shirt, and colalr bar finish the look. It gives the same monochromatic affect as a tuxedo, because the tie colors (check is a 30s gray and off-white Brooks Bros. tie and the puppytooth is dark blue/purple/white) and the suit colors create a lack of create and have a similar black and white effect, which I like. Simple, but it's all in the details.